Church Marketing Sucks

A while back, we asked about cool things churches are doing online in our post on “What Churches Are Doing Right and Wrong with Digital Platforms.” We had a ton of great feedback and decided to share your ideas.

For those looking for inspiration or who feel their digital presence as a church could use a revival, take a look at these cool things churches have been doing online.

1. Introduction/Welcome Video

Some pastors are taking advantage of technology and creating introduction videos for their church websites. This is a great way for pastors to interact with their congregation virtually. For newcomers or visitors, this can be extremely beneficial. Instead of a generic welcome page, adding a video allows for creativity as well as personality.

2. Photo Albums

This one is very basic, yet effective for church members. Including a regularly updated slideshow or photo album of things happening in the church can help people who weren’t present at an event, fundraiser or baptism feel like they can still share in the experience. Showing, not just telling, is huge.

3. Baptisms

There are several ways churches can make the most of this event. Whether it’s photos, a video and/or background information about the person being baptized, posting about it online is encouraging and fun for members of the church, especially if they know the person well or are interested in getting baptized themselves. Along with this, some churches provide information about baptism on their website. Imagine how much more intriguing that information would be along with a photo or video of a real baptism.

4. Sermon Resources

What better way to help people engage with a sermon than to keep the conversation going online? Some churches are adding content online such as links, videos and infographics to let people continue to interact with whatever they learned during the message.

5. “90-Second” Sermons

People like getting excited about what’s coming next. Basically, this is just a short and simple way to preview Sunday’s sermon. Pastors can encourage members to read the passage beforehand or to consider some questions that the pastor will be addressing during the lesson. This is a great way to interact and peak interest.

6. Q&A

Just like many organizations, churches are taking part in social media dialogue. Through platforms like Facebook and Twitter, churches are encouraging their followers to ask questions. Whether it’s about upcoming missions trips, fundraisers, or events, doing frequent Q&As can keep church members up-to-date and connected with the community.

7. Hashtags

Hashtags aren’t just for teens. Although you don’t necessarily need to make use of #ThrowbackThursday, some churches are using personalized hashtags to keep people connected with what’s going on at their church. One example shared was making use of hashtags to let people speak out about how Christ has changed their lives. Another example is to use a photos hashtag on Instagram so families in the church can continue building a community even when school is out for the summer and they are less involved with church.

What cool things is your church doing online?

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